Washington, DC – In September, North Korea publicly denied that it intended to provide ammunition to Russia for their use in Ukraine. However, the US has information indicating that the “DPRK is currently supplying Russia with a significant number of artillery shells while obfuscating the real destination of the arms shipments by trying to make it appear as though they’re being sent to countries in the Middle East and North Africa,” said NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby.
The US will continue to monitor whether these shipments are received. With supply shortages and the “efficacy of international sanctions, Russia has to continue to look to actors like the DPRK and Iran to sustain its aggressive, provocative, and aggressive war in Ukraine. But it’s not going to change the course of the war. And we’re going to continue to provide Ukraine with the critical security systems that it needs to defend itself,” he added.
At the State Department daily press briefing, Spokesperson Ned Price said the US would use every tool to counter the DPRK’s provisions of weapons to Russia. “There are existing sanctions on the books. We will look at additional tools and authorities that we may be able to call upon to counter this activity. We believe it is incumbent upon countries around the world, certainly those countries that have leverage with the regime in the DPRK that, in some cases, the United States does not. It’s incumbent upon all responsible countries, certainly on permanent members of the UN Security Council, to fully effect the sanctions that the Security Council itself has unanimously put forward.”
